Decorative Pumpkin Pie Crusts

http://theheritagecook.com/thanksgiving-recipes-the-star-attraction-desserts/

Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up fast, and many have already started planning what to bring, who will bring it and where to eat this year. Always game for a spin-off on classic favorites, I searched and discovered some really cool ideas for decorating my pumpkin pie this year. Check out what I found! (Libby's pumpkin pie recipe at the end of this post, too)

http://www.recipe.com/lattice-topped-pumpkin-pie/

http://nookandcrannies.tumblr.com/post/35844967186/break-and-thank-part-iv

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/pumpkin_pie_leafy_rim.aspx

http://happierthanapiginmud.blogspot.com/2012/09/jack-o-lantern-pumpkin-pie.html

http://carolyneroehm.com/2013/11/26/happy-thanksgiving-my-decorations-my-favorite-pumpkin-pie/

http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2011/11/add-little-sparkle-to-your-pumpkin-pie.html

http://jennysgatherings.com/2013/10/30/pie-tutorial-2-decorative-pie-cut-outs/

http://www.nsmbl.com/the-most-decorative-pie-crusts/

http://www.nsmbl.com/the-most-decorative-pie-crusts/

And for an easy pumpkin pie (well, the next easiest thing to just buying the pie at the store), here's Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe (click on the picture to make it larger):

3 Dutch oven cobblers for the conventional oven!

If you're like me, you do not own a Dutch oven, nor would you know how many briquettes to use if you HAD one. Anything that can be cooked in the Dutch oven, can be baked in a conventional oven. Here are three variations of the popular Dutch oven cobbler that you can bake in your oven:

- Black Forest Cobbler
- Apple-Root Beer Cobbler
- Basic Fruit Cobbler

Dutch Oven Black Forest Cobbler (for conventional oven)

1 (18 oz) box brownie mix (or chocolate cake mix)

2 cans (16 - 21 oz ea) cherries (drained) or cherry pie filling

1 (12 oz) can Sprite/7-up/equivalent

2 Tbsp butter, cut up

Line Dutch oven (or other large baking dish) with foil for easy clean up. Place butter chunks on bottom of dish. Pour fruit evenly into dish. *Pour dry cake mix evenly over fruit. Pour soda over everything. Cover. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

*Can mix dry cake mix and soda together in a separate bowl before pouring over fruit.

Dutch Oven Apple-Root Beer Cobbler (for conventional oven)

1 box spice cake mix

2 cans (21 oz each) apple pie filling

1 can root beer

2 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks

Line Dutch oven (or other large baking dish) with foil for easy clean up. Place butter chunks on bottom of dish. Pour fruit evenly into dish. *Pour dry cake mix evenly over fruit. Pour soda over everything. Cover. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. This is a zingy, fun-tasting cobbler!

*Can mix dry cake mix and soda together in a separate bowl before pouring over fruit.

Dutch Oven Basic Fruit Cobbler (for conventional oven)

1 box white or yellow cake mix

1 (12 oz) can Sprite/7-up/equivalent

2 cans (21 oz each) fruit pie filling of choice (peach, cherry, apple, blueberry, raspberry, etc.)

2 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks

Line Dutch oven (or other large baking dish) with foil for easy clean up. Place butter chunks on bottom of dish. Pour fruit evenly into dish. *Pour dry cake mix evenly over fruit. Pour soda over everything. Cover. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

*Can mix dry cake mix and soda together in a separate bowl before pouring over fruit.

Safari Birthday Parties!

My girls had birthday parties a few weeks apart. My 6-year-old wanted a Safari Party and my 9-year-old wanted a Horse Roundup Party. My husband, always one to go crazy on anything that spells "party" made a safari vehicle out of his old Chevy S-10 pickup.

For both parties we hid tons of stuffed animals and stuffed horses all over our 1-acre yard for the party-goers to spot from the truck.

Some of the animals had bags of "loot" beside them (little prizes like pencils, stickers, animal related trinkets, etc.) which I handed out to the kids.

The safaris were a success with the added fun of other games and activities.

My husband also rigged up a homemade "horsey ride" from some strong cardboard, 2x4s and stick horses, pulling it behind his ATV. Another popular activity for the kids!

After the horse party ended and all the kids returned home, we surprised both girls with a REAL horsey ride. They'd never been on a horse in their lives, so it was a real treat.

Our sweet neighbors saddled up their horse, Slick, and led the girls around their yard to the girl's ultimate delight.

My husband and our youngest even got to ride. My youngest's shirt, which was too big for her, was giving a little "off the shoulder" look *smile*. The girls said they'd remember these parties forever. That's good, because I don't think I'll be able to do them every year, or even every two years. Too much work for just a 2 hour party! Maybe every 3 years. We'll just have a small family celebration for the years in between *laugh*. GOOD TIMES!

KSL (NBC) Studio 5 Relaxing Reads features SHADOWS OF VALOR!

I was delighted and flattered that Teri Harman (author of the Moonlight contemporary witch trilogy) featured my medieval romance, SHADOWS OF VALOR on her Studio 5 segment as part of her "relaxing reads" lists. Mine was one of 6 titles mentioned. I couldn't be happier with the feature and the tagline for my book that my male character is like a "medieval batman!" Awesome! Here's the link to the short segment. Mine is the second book in the list:
http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=31435892.
Thanks, Teri!